Beneficial effects on water management of simple hydraulic structures in wetland systems: the Vallevecchia case study, Italy

Conflicting water uses in coastal zones demand integrated approaches to achieve sustainable water resources management, protecting water quality while allowing those human activities which rely upon aquatic ecosystem services to thrive. This case study shows that the creation and simple management of hydraulic structures within constructed wetlands can markedly reduce the non-point pollution from agriculture and, simultaneously, benefit agricultural activities, particularly during hot and dry periods. The Vallevecchia wetland system is based on a reclaimed 900 ha-large drainage basin in Northern Italy, where droughts recently impacted agriculture causing water scarcity and saltwater intrusion. Rainwater and drained water are recirculated inside the system to limit saltwater intrusion, provide irrigation water during dry periods and reduce the agricultural nutrient loads discharged into the bordering, eutrophic Adriatic Sea. Monitoring (2003-2009) of water quality and flows highlights that the construction (ended in 2005) of a gated spillway to control the outflow, and of a 200,000 m3 basin for water storage, dramatically increased the removal of nutrients within the system. Strikingly, this improvement was achieved with a minimal management effort, e.g., each year the storage basin was filled once: a simple management of the hydraulic structures would greatly enhance the system efficiency, and store more water to irrigate and limit saltwater intrusion.     

Cops and Robbers from a distance

Cops and Robbers is a pursuit and evasion game played on graphs that has received much attention. We consider an extension of Cops and Robbers, distance k Cops and Robbers, where the cops win if at least one of them is of distance at most k from the robber in G. The cop number of a graph G is the minimum number of cops needed to capture the robber in G. The distance k analogue of the cop number, written c_k(G), equals the minimum number of cops needed to win at a given distance k. We study the parameter c_k from algorithmic, structural, and probabilistic perspectives. We supply a classification result for graphs with bounded c_k(G) values and develop an O(n^2s+3) algorithm for determining if c_k(G)≤s for s fixed. We prove that if s is not fixed, then computing c_k(G) is NP-hard. Upper and lower bounds are found for c_k(G) in terms of the order of G. We prove that

     

Changes in the surface EMG signal and the biomechanics of motion during a repetitive lifting task

The analysis of surface electromyographic (EMG) data recorded from the muscles of the back during isometric constant-force contractions has been a useful tool for assessing muscle deficits in patients with lower back pain (LBP). Until recently, extending the technique to dynamic tasks, such as lifting, has not been possible due to the nonstationarity of the EMG signals. Recent developments in time-frequency analysis procedures to compute the instantaneous median frequency (IMDF) were utilized in this study to overcome these limitations. Healthy control subjects with no history of LBP (n=9; mean age 26.3/spl plusmn/6.7) were instrumented for acquisition of surface EMG data from six electrodes on the thoraco-lumbar region and whole-body kinematic data from a stereo-photogrammetric system. Data were recorded during a standardized repetitive lifting task (load=15% body mass; 12 lifts/min; 5-min duration). The task resulted in significant decreases in IMDF for six of the nine subjects, with a symmetrical pattern of fatigue among contralateral muscles and greater decrements in the lower lumbar region. For those subjects with a significant decrease in IMDF, a lower limb and/or upper limb biomechanical adaptation to fatigue was observed during the task. Increases in the peak box acceleration were documented. In two subjects, the acceleration doubled its value from the beginning to the end of the exercise, which lead to a significant increase in the torque at L4/L5. This observation suggests an association between muscle fatigue at the lumbar region and the way the subject manipulates the box during the exercise. Fatigue-related biomechanical adaptations are discussed as a possible supplement to functional capacity assessments among patients with LBP.     

Enantioselective analysis of praziquantel in plasma samples

In prokaryotes, DnaK-DnaJ chaperon is involved in the protein degradation catalyzed by proteases La and ClpA/B complex as shown in E. coli. To extend this into eukaryotic cells, we examined the effects of hsp70 genes, SSA1 and SSB1, and DnaJ genes, SIS1 and YDJ1, on the growth of proteasome subunit mutants of the yeast S. cerevisiae. The results identified SSB1 and SIS1 as a pair of chaperon genes specifically involved in efficient protein turnover in the yeast, whose overexpression suppressed the growth defects caused by the proteasome mutations. Moreover, a single amino acid substitution in the putative peptide-binding site of SSB1 protein profoundly enhanced the suppression activity, indicating that the activity is mediated by the peptide-binding activity of this chaperon. Thus SSB1, with its partner DnaJ, SIS1, modulates the efficiency of protein turnover through its chaperon activity.     

EMG-based measures of fatigue during a repetitive squat exercise

We have demonstrated a technique to calculate the EMG instantaneous median frequency to assess muscle fatigue during a dynamic exercise commonly prescribed in patients with ACL deficiency. We used Cohen-Posch time-frequency representations to improve upon the variability of the instantaneous median frequency estimates derived using Cohen Class transformations. The technique was applied to surface EMG data recorded from the quadriceps and hamstring muscles of a control subject and a patient with ACL deficiency during a repetitive squat exercise. Instantaneous median frequency values were derived for the knee-extension phases of the exercise. Ensemble average and standard deviation of the instantaneous median frequency were computed for the portion of the cycle associated with the lowest variability of the mechanics     

Crossed and direct effects of digital nerves stimulation on motor evoked potential: a study with magnetic brain stimulation

We studied the influence of contralateral and ipsilateral cutaneous digital nerve stimulation on motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited in hand muscles by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). We tested the effect of different magnetic stimulus intensities on MEPs recorded from the thenar eminence (TE) muscles of the right hand while an electrical conditioning stimulus was delivered to the second finger of the same hand with an intensity four times above the sensory threshold. Amplitude decrement of conditioned MEPs as a function of magnetic stimulus intensity was observed. The lowest TMS stimulus intensity produced the largest decrease in conditioned MEPs. Moreover, we investigated the effects of ipsilateral and contralateral electrical digital stimulation on MEPs elicited in the right TE and biceps muscle using an intensity 10% above the threshold. Marked MEP inhibition in TE muscles following both ipsilateral and contralateral digital stimulation is the main finding of this study. The decrease in conditioned MEP amplitude to ipsilateral stimulation reached a level of 50% of unconditioned MEP amplitude with the circular coil and 30% with the focal coil. The amplitude of conditioned MEPs to contralateral digital stimulation showed a decrease of 60% with the circular coil and more than 50% with the focal coil. The onset of the inhibitory effect of contralateral stimulation using the focal coil occurred at a mean of 15 ms later than that of ipsilateral stimulation. No MEP inhibition was observed when recording from proximal muscles. Ipsilateral and contralateral digital stimulation had no effect on F wave at appropriate interstimulus intervals, where the main MEP suppression was noted. We stress the importance of selecting an appropriate test stimulus intensity to evaluate MEP inhibition by digital nerves stimulation. Spinal and cortical sites of sensorimotor integration are adduced to explain the direct and crossed MEP inhibition following digital nerves stimulation.     

HPLC separation,NMR and QTOF/MS/MS structure elucidation of a prominent nitric oxide donor agent based on an isomeric composition of a nitrosyl ruthenium complex

A new and promising nitrosyl ruthenium complex, [Ru(NO)(bdqi-COOH)(terpy)](PF₆)₃, bdqi-COOH is 3,4-diiminebenzoic acid and terpy is 2,2′-terpyridine, has been synthesized as a NO donor agent. The procedure used for [Ru(NO)(bdqi-COOH)(terpy)](PF₆)₃ synthesis has, apparently, yielded the formation of two isomers in which the ligand bdqi-COOH appears to be coordinated in its reduced form (bdcat-COOH), which could have differences in their pharmacological properties. Therefore, it was intended to separate the two possible isomers by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and to characterize them by high resolution mass spectrometry (QTOF MS) and by magnetic nuclear resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The results obtained by MS showed that the ESI-MS mass spectra of both HPLC column fractions, e.g. peak 1 and peak 2, are essentially equal, showing that both isomers display nearly identical gas-phase behavior with clusters of isotopologue ions centered at m/z 573, m/z 543 and m/z 513. Regarding the NMR analysis, the results showed that the positional isomerism is located in the bdqi-COOH ligand. From the observed results it can be concluded that the synthesis procedure that has been used results in the formation of two [Ru(terpy)(bdqi-COOH)NO](PF₆)₃ isomers.     

Effects of voluntary contraction on tibial nerve somatosensory evoked potentials: gating of specific cortical responses

We evaluated vertex-parietal P37, N50, and contralateral N37 somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) to posterior tibial nerve stimulation during weak (20 to 30%) and strong (80 to 90%) ipsilateral gastrocnemius-soleus contraction. The results were compared with data obtained during full relaxation. P37 and N50 were attenuated significantly during weak contraction and then abolished during strong contraction, whereas the contralateral N37 was not. The N37 potential spreads over the vertex and over the ipsilateral parietal region during strong contraction. The Cz'-F3 montage was not appropriate for detecting these SEP patterns. These findings suggest that thalamic or cortical gating mechanisms affect specific cortical responses. P37 and N50 could reflect the arrival of the afferent volley into the motor areas from thalamic and cortical (subareas 1 and 2 of S1) projections. N37 could be generated in subarea 3b. Differential analysis of N37 and P37 is required in clinical practice, mainly in those conditions that involve the motor system and in those conditions in which tonic muscular activity is increased.